Just think of this. You will be forced to have extensive down time with 
cancer radiation treatments so how will you react? That’s what Marian University Alumnus Tom Fahey ’75 had to think about. While undergoing 43 rounds of radiation therapy, Fahey decided to make the most of the time spent in treatments. Feeling inspired and reflective, Fahey recorded thoughts and topics to share with his children, family, and close friends. That opened the door for “43 Days of Reflections and Ruminations”, Fahey’s autobiography now available at Barnes and Noble and on Amazon.
“While facing 43 treatments I sure had time for 43 topics,” Fahey said. “My brother said I needed to share this experience outside family and friends, so I wrote it hoping others would find some humor and commonality in spirit.”
Fahey is a cancer survivor of two different types of cancer and felt compelled to help others understand just how precious life is. His publisher, Austin Macauley Publishers called the book an autobiographical probe into the meaning of life and “An absolutely delightful read…simply yet brilliantly expressed.”
After a successful sales management career which took him all over the world, Fahey is now retired and living in Colorado Springs, Colorado with his family. The second generation Marian graduate, who earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, succeeded his mother, Marianna Todd ’40. Fahey and his wife, Nancy Haracz, met in Chicago, then she followed him to Marian, fell in love with the campus and graduated in 1978.
Already an avid reader, Fahey found catharsis in writing the book. “Writing helped me take a look at all of the things that sometimes are taken for granted, like family and friends, how bright the sun shines, and the fact that many of us go to bed at night expecting to wake up in the morning,” says the father and grandfather.
And concentrating on the little things is exactly what Fahey says he’ll continue to do.